


brother mine

by jotunhell



Category: Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (2018)
Genre: Angst, Brother Feels, Fluff and Angst, Platonic Soulmates, Soulmate AU, mostly angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-21 01:10:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16149386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jotunhell/pseuds/jotunhell
Summary: Julian Del Pilar has always been a brother first before anything else.





	brother mine

Little Julian peeks in the room where he hears his mother panting and grunting. His father told him that she'll be alright but the noises are too loud to ignore. He watches as his mother's comely face is twisted with pain and determination, face drenched in sweat, while another lady is settled between her legs, telling her things that he can't hear. Itay is there, holding her hand, his mother's knuckles turning white.

Then it's all over. The house is quiet and relief floods inay's face. A new sharp cry pierces through the night but it brings up a smile to Itay's face so it must be a good thing. A white blanket is used and he sees him cradling the bundle. Julian is more curious than ever.

He takes a few careful steps forward.

His father notices him. "Julian, anak.. halika. Eto ang nakababata mong kapatid."

Julian moves forward, just as his father hands the bundle over to his mother. Inay looks tired and happy.

"Gregorio.." She mumbles.

"Goyong." Itay hums.

Julian peeks at the bundle and sees the baby, tiny and wrapped in white. He blinks and the colors start flooding in. He's a little confused at the oranges and yellows, the greens outside the window. Julian looks around in fascination. "Tay! May kulay!"

The Del Pilars share a look and both smile at their two boys. "Oh, Julian, aalagaan mo kapatid mo ha?"

Julian scoots closer to the baby and peeks. He nods, grinning at little Goyong. "Opo!"

 

***

 

A loud thud tears Julian away from his drunken haze. "Goyong!" He seethes, picking up his younger brother carefully. He /felt/ that thud. Like his heart dropped to his stomach.

Goyong sobered up after the fall, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. The pain of his arm is too much.

"'Wag kang umiyak. Halika na." The night ended young and Julian had to sneak out medicine and bandages for Goyong's arm. Their mother is going to be furious.

"Ba't ba tumalon ka, ha? Akala mo talaga agila ka no?" His words are teasing and it earned a pout from the younger. "Agila naman talaga ako, kuya."

Julian smiles. "Oo na. Ikaw na ang Agila. Dugong magiting."

Goyong returns the smile. "Balang araw."

"Hmn. Balang araw." Julian sighs, finishing his work. "Lagot ka kay tiyo. May ensayo tayo bukas."

"Kuya."

"Sabi ko ako nang bahala."

 

***

 

He watches him rise through the ranks. Both are soldiers now, pinned with medals and titles and flags on their shoulders. Goyong has proved to be excellent. Naive, young, and lucky— but excellent.

Heneral Gregorio Del Pilar, they call him. Still Goyong to him though. Whatever jealousy he had was devoured by pride and joy for the younger. After all, Julian Del Pilar has always been a brother first before anything else.

It's no surprise to see him with Goyong in every battlefield, may it be the ones involving guns or girls. If Gregorio Del Pilar is around, rest assured that Julian is making trouble nearby. They are inseparable.

 

***

 

"Kuya, kailangan mo ba talagang umuwi sa Bulakan?"

There he is. His brother seeping through the cracks of the boy general.

Julian wanted to say no. God knows how he hated being away from his brother. His little brother that got drunk and jumped off a tree thinking he could fly. His little brother who could fly now but doesn't know where he's headed.

"Kailangan ako dun, Goyong." He clasps the other's shoulder. "Uuwi ka naman sa pasko, di ba?"

Goyong doesn't answer but Julian is stubborn.

"Umuwi ka. Maghihintay pamilya natin." A squeeze. Maghihintay ako. He doesn't say it, he doesn't need to.

The world can only be so cruel, Julian thinks. It has taken his country, spilled blood over its beautiful landscape, it's not going to take his brother. Goyo will be there for Christmas.

 

***

 

It happens on the second day of the month. Julian welcomes December with anxiety and rum. His last news of Goyong wasn't pleasant and most of the time Julian either drowns himself in work or finds solace at the bottom of a bottle.

He punishes himself for that night, for getting drunk and then having fun at that lake, for not doing their jobs right. Had it been different... had they done everything to keep those colonizers out...

Julian burns his throat again with a sip of his glass.

He thinks of it from time to time, about soulmates and death. He's met a lot of people who found their soulmates. Most of them are lovers, rarely does he come across siblings. He thinks of how special those siblings are, how dangerous their bond is. Julian can relate.

Losing a soulmate, however, is another thing. It's painful. It's death itself in grey colors. Julian has heard those tragic stories, how the colors start to fade away slow and steady, sometimes stuttering to bright hues like the other half is fighting but ultimately dying out.

Julian sighs and sits down on his table, documents and letters before him. The sun is high and mighty in the afternoon sky and it doesn't help his temper. Work continues to pile on and it never seems to end. It's not the kind Julian's used to but it'll have to—

And then suddenly the air cuts off from his lungs.

It happens too quickly. His eyes widen for a fraction and a moment passes before it sinks in. The colors— there was no fading, no stuttering, no chances, they were all just... gone.

"G.." Julian knows the name but swallows it down, looking around him and seeing only black and white. Suddenly he's aware of how alone he is.

It comes as a broken whisper, Julian desperate for someone to answer him. "Goyong.." His throat is tight with a sob that he chokes on.

The tears come and it makes everything blurry. Julian trembles and the ache in his chest grows until it's all he feels. A noise tears from him, raw and broken, something out of grief and rage but Julian swallows it again and instead pounds his fist on the table, knuckles white.

It's all jarring, being plunged back to seeing nothing but grey. His colors ripped away from him. His brother.

Julian Del Pilar—proud, loud and brash—didn't make a sound that day.


End file.
